Auto News 5

McLaren Formula 1 team has signed a marketing partnership with Gillette that will kick off at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

The McLaren press release says: “The partnership will reinforce both brands' quest for the most superior technology, design and performance in their respective fields. Activation throughout 2013 will include dedicated television spots, an innovative digital campaign and in-store events throughout Asia to highlight and promote the partnership”.

Gillette, through its South American branch, was a personal sponsor of Bruno Senna when the Brazilian raced in Formula 1.

Photo: McLaren

Price Range: $48,600 and up

Description: Turbocharged power, all-wheel drive performance and one of the most striking looks on the road define Audi's TT Coupe model range. Priced from $48,600 for a standard TT, $57,900 for a high-performance TTS Coupe and $67,600 for the race-track-decimating TT RS Coupe, there's a model that's just right for virtually any need or budget.

All 2013 Audi TT models get two doors, four seats, and four-wheel drive thanks to Audi's traction-mastering Quattro technology.


Drivetrain: The TT powertrain lineup goes thusly: standard models are fitted with a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo engine featuring direct injection technology for 211 horsepower and a meaty 258 lb-ft of torque. A 6-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch gearbox is standard, maximizing performance with minimized drivetrain friction loss and millisecond gear change speeds with full throttle blipping.

Bumping it up a notch, the 2013 Audi TTS receives a special variant of the 2.0L engine that's tweaked by Audi's engineers to deliver 265 horsepower. Drivers can expect 0-100 km/h in 5.1 seconds.

Adding an extra cylinder and even more boost, the track-validated 2013 Audi TT RS dials in 360 horsepower and 343 lb-ft of torque for massive, on-demand acceleration, and low-end grunt. Available solely with a 6-speed manual transmission, the TT RS is geared towards the hardcore driving enthusiast who demands total control at all times.

Consider it if: stand-out style, motorsports readiness and year-round performance are priorities in your next ride. Fuel efficiency is surprisingly good as well thanks to numerous features like direct injection and lightweight aluminum body structures across the 2013 Audi TT Coupe lineup,

Skip it if: you're after all-out firepower for your cash, as there are more powerful, faster cars available for the money.

Other Notes: A full suite of safety and connectivity features is on board the 2013 Audi TT Coupe including protective gear like advanced airbags and a crash-optimized body structure, as well as voice-commanded features like a Bluetooth phone interface to help minimize distraction on the go.

Depending on the model and features selected, a bi-xenon headlight system with adaptive functionality and headlight washers ensures optimal visibility at all times, regardless of weather.

Don't Miss: The audio package. Teaming up with Bose, Audi offers a 10-speaker up-level audio system with premium components. An S-Line package is available on the 2013 Audi TT, adding Nappa leather sports seats, special exterior upgrades, unique badges, and more.

Audi Magnetic Ride technology lets drivers set their TT's suspension to one of two modes at the touch of a button. The “Normal” mode prioritizes an all-around balance of handling and comfort for touring and general driving. The “Sport” mode offers higher damping rates to help keep the 2013 Audi TT's body sprung more tightly against its wheels for suppressed body roll and more precise cornering.

The 2013 Audi TT RS gets a distinctive carbon-fibre engine cover, cross-drilled front brakes, and massive dual exhausts, as well as a large fixed spoiler to communicate its high-performance intentions visually.

Photo: Audi

Maserati has released the first official images of its all-new Ghibli sports sedan that will debut at Auto Shanghai 2013 later this month.

Boasting a sportier character than the larger and newly introduced Quattroporte, the Ghibli will be available with two 3.0L turbocharged V6 engines, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and both rear-wheel drive and the new “Q4” all-wheel drive system. In fact, it will become the first production Maserati to be powered by a diesel engine.

The Ghibli will play a significant role in the company's growth plan to sell 50,000 cars per year.

Photo: Maserati

Photo: Maserati

A total of 3.4 million Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota vehicles across the globe are being recalled due to a problem with the passenger's side front airbag, manufactured by Takata Corp.

Apparently, the airbag may deploy with excessive force and rip apart, potentially resulting in injuries to the front passenger. While one such case has been recorded by Honda, no related death or injury has ever been reported.

In Canada, the recall covers almost 81,000 Honda Civic and 11,000 Acura 1.7 EL sedans from the 2001-2003 model years, 6,140 CR-V vehicles from 2002-2003, and nearly 10,000 Odyssey minivans from the 2002 model year. Honda Canada encourages owners to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive a recall notification, which will be mailed out starting in late May.

At Toyota, 580,000 yet-to-be-identified vehicles are affected in North America. In Europe and Japan, they include the Corolla, Tundra, and Lexus SC produced between November 2000 and March 2004.

Nissan and Mazda are recalling 480,000 and 45,000 vehicles worldwide, respectively, without providing any more details.

Source: Reuters

Photo: Acura

How hard is it to be a five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion? Only Jimmie Johnson knows. The issue is that the California native appears to have as many anti-fans as he has fans. Or, at least, his “haters” jeer louder than the cheers.

After his victory in Martinsville last week he had a chance to read their comments. Here's an excerpt of an interview with SpeedTV's Bob Dillner where he explained how and why he responded.

Bob Dillner: As you said, you addressed some of those ‘haters' after the race. Your quote was, ‘You haters have it right. I'm a bad teammate. I have a cheated up car. I'm lucky and the race was fixed. Gotta love Twitter and NASCAR fans.' To me, I was surprised because that's not like Jimmie, from what I see on Twitter. What brought that on?

Jimmie Johnson: Well, just reading the stuff over the course of the day. I had a lot of really good laughs about it, and I ignored it all for a while. And then I thought it would be fun to play into this theme that was on Twitter, that there was no way I'm good enough to win there eight times on my own. There's no way that a good team and driver can win the race, it had to be a cheated-up car. I'm a bad teammate and all of this stuff. I was like, the heck with it, I'll just play into it and here you go.

Photo: NASCAR

Dillner: Junior Nation. You never know what's going to come out of their mouths on Twitter. Obviously, they thought you should have let (Dale Earnhardt) Jr. in. Explain that situation.
Johnson: Looking back on it now, sure, it would be easy at the time to do it. The caution comes out half way down the backstretch. I'm worried about getting the car stopped. I hear there's a car in the wall - no number. Then a car pulls off the wall, and is now blocking the road. I pull up. I see it's the 88. Car is tore up and there are flat tires, and he backs up. Okay, thank you. I drive on through and didn't think anything about it. D.W. (Darrell Waltrip) was nice enough to point it out on television as well, and then, here I am with an inbox full of hate mail at the end of the race. People are going to see it however they want. At the end of the day, (Crew Chief) Steve Letarte and Dale Jr. contacted me at the end of the day because they had heard that there was some uproar over it, and they were like, ‘Dude, seriously, you did nothing wrong.' So as long as those two are happy, I'm good.

Dillner: There are some people that don't know you, say that Jimmie Johnson is vanilla. Jimmie Johnson is boring. So you think your calm, cool and collected demeanor is misinterpreted?
Johnson: It could be, but I mean, there was a point in time where I cared what people thought. I was worried about it. I can't live my life that way. The people that know me, know who I am and what I am about. That's all that really matters to me. If I live my life trying to make everybody happy, not living for myself, I would be a fool. There are some really important things to worry about, than if someone thinks I'm vanilla.

Price Range: $77,000 and up

Description: With 450 horsepower, a redline beyond 8,000 rpm and Quattro All-Wheel Drive (AWD) the RS5 might just be the highest-performing Audi with a back seat. Combining track-proven technologies and development from Audi's Renn Sport division along with the sophisticated luxury the brand is known for; the RS5 seeks to deliver comfortable travels and motorsport readiness for even the most discerning enthusiast.

A two-door, four-seat coupe, RS5 also packs a surprisingly spacious interior and road-trip ready trunk. On the road, larger wheels, extended side-sills, deeper bumpers with enlarged vents, and massive dual-exhaust outlets set the RS5 apart.


Drivetrain: the 2013 Audi RS5 comes powered just one way: by a high-strung, up-tuned version of Audi's sweet 4.2L V8 which makes 450 horsepower in this application. FSI technology bumps output and fuel efficiency, and visiting the stratospheric 8,000-plus rpm redline sees the powerplant emit a purely exotic howl.

All models get Quattro AWD for enhanced agility, traction and confidence on every surface, and a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters. Fully automatic shifting is available, and Launch Control function is programmed into the gearbox for maximum acceleration from a standstill.

Consider it if: you're interested in supercar performance with an eye for all-season, all-weather use, and road-trip readiness. The 2013 Audi RS5 might be tuned for the track, but it's more than happy to cruise comfortably with a pair of adults or two on board. A drive-mode selector allows suspension, transmission, throttle and steering to be calibrated into more comfort-oriented settings when touring is the order of the day. A few button clicks recalibrates the RS5 for track use when desired.

Skip it if: you have a propensity towards collecting speeding tickets, or if you want a manual transmission since there isn't one available on the North American model.


Other Notes: Feature content includes premium audio systems, full multimedia connectivity, Bluetooth, navigation, a full driver computer, carbon-fibre trim and plenty more. A Titanium Package includes numerous cosmetic upgrades including body-coloured mirror caps, carbon accents and unique wheels to dial up exclusivity. A sports exhaust system can be specified as well, if drivers wish to make more noise.

Don't Miss: the 7-speed S-Tronic gearbox shifts. At full throttle, requesting an upshift form the right-side shift paddle results in a loud bark from the exhaust, an instant ramp-down of engine rpm for the next gear, and a delay-free continuation of acceleration -- all in mere milliseconds. This gearbox shifts, literally, in a blink.

A speed deployable rear spoiler adds unique stylistic flare and downforce when activated.

Available Audi Ceramic Brakes can be specified to put an innovative ceramic composite brake rotor and high-performance calipers to work for unbeatable durability, fade resistance and looks.

Torque Vectoring control, enabled by the new self-locking centre differential and sport rear differential, dynamically sends more power to the outer rear wheel in a corner to help “push” the 2013 Audi RS5's nose into the bend for even more precise handling.

Photo: Audi

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has refused to confirm or deny rumours linking him to Red Bull for 2014, insisting even retirement remains an option.

In the wake of the 'Multi-21' saga, with some suspecting Mark Webber's place alongside Sebastian Vettel is now untenable, Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz said 2007 world champion Raikkonen is "cool, fast and always a candidate".

Raikkonen, 33, ran with Red Bull sponsorship in world rallying after leaving Ferrari a few years ago, returning to F1 with Lotus in 2012 and showing impressive form.

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko echoed Mateschitz's comments about Raikkonen on Wednesday when he admitted the Finn "is someone who is on our list for next year".

But when asked if he has already turned his attention to the end of his current contract and 2014, Raikkonen insisted: "I have not."

"I could even retire. I don't have any contract - nothing - for next year. I am focusing on now," Raikkonen told Turun Sanomat newspaper.

Photo: WRi2

Well-connected paddock sources insist that Red Bull must at least be considering replacing Webber for 2014.

Raikkonen and German Vettel are good friends, which according to Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt could make a big difference, given the likely venom of the continuing Webber/Vettel relationship.

"Well," the respected journalist is quoted by Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, "Vettel and Webber's relationship will never be the same.

"Vettel has apologised, but really that was just for the public. Deep down, he knows the importance of those seven points. It is the difference between the champion and the normal racing driver. Champions think only of themselves."

Vettel's former trainer Tommi Parmakoski agrees: "The first thing is that everyone needs to follow their team boss. But on the other hand, knowing Sebastian as well as I do, he has this unbridled desire to win. It is the fundamental reason why he has won so much and endured the toughest pressures."

Caterham F1 Team has provided the press with some very interesting technical information about running a Formula 1 car on the permanent circuit of Shanghai, site of the Grand Prix of China this weekend.

Here below is the track map with the turn numbers, and for some of them the gear selected, speed and lateral g forces.


Here below is an example of a complete lap of the Caterham F1 car around the 5.451km circuit of Shanghai International Circuit. Renault Sport F1 has provided the graph below.


Red line: Engine speed (note the drop in RPMs during the gear changes. Lowest RPM is 8,000)
Blue line: Speed of the car in km/h (fastest speed is 320 km/h, slowest speed is 60)
Green line: Lateral g's (ranging from +4 g's to -4)
Pink line: Gear selected
Orange line: Percentage of throttle (0 being off the throttle, and 100% being throttle fully open)
Black line: Pressure on the brake pedal

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel has stepped away from post-Sepang apologies in the wake of the 'Multi-21' affair, suggesting the resulting controversy only frustrated him.

The German appeared contrite immediately after the Malaysian race, when he confessed that the implications of ignoring Red Bull's team order to settle for second place had "struck me like lightning".

He apologised not only to Mark Webber, but - according to team boss Christian Horner - also to Red Bull's hundreds of staff at Milton-Keynes.

But with the racing adrenaline set to flow again in China this weekend, the reigning triple world champion now insists: "I don't apologise for winning.

"That is why people employed me in the first place. I love racing and that's what I did," Vettel said in an interview for Red Bull's title sponsor Infiniti.

Photo: WRi2

Sebastian Vettel said his apology to Red Bull still stands because he put "himself above the team", but insists that he "did not mean" to do that.

British journalist Bob McKenzie wrote in the Express newspaper: "His words will only inflame the situation".

Sebastian Vettel indicated that the controversy, which became known as the 'Multi-21' affair, frustrated him because it diverted attention from the real story of Malaysia.

"I think unfortunately people didn't see that we worked well on the day. As a team I think we did a very good job with a fantastic result. I think that's what people forgot. What stuck in their heads was the way the race ended," said the 25-year-old.

Even Vettel had to acknowledge that the saga will surely continue in the days ahead. John Watson, a veteran commentator and former F1 driver, thinks it will be impossible to ignore within the Red Bull team as well.

"The atmosphere in the garage in China will be crap," he told Sun newspaper.

"But if you create the monster then lose control of him, you are going to pay the price. What happened in Malaysia showed that Helmut Marko and Vettel wield the power in the team," added Watson.

Indeed, on the eve of the action in Shanghai, Marko announced that Red Bull has scrapped the sort of team orders that Vettel simply ignored in Malaysia.

"For Sebastian Vettel, that is a belated vindication," wrote Simon Pausch in Die Welt newspaper.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB9-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

It is also reported that Vettel will keep his bonus prize money for winning in Malaysia.

Bild newspaper said Red Bull pays its drivers EUR 38,200 for every point scored. For a win, the bonus is just shy of a million euros.

Second place, in this case Webber, earned EUR 270,000 less than Vettel in Malaysia.

From GMM

The infamous 'Multi-21' affair stepped up another notch on Thursday in China, as a feisty Sebastian Vettel withdrew his apology to teammate Mark Webber.

"My apology was for the team, not Mark," the three-time world champion was quoted in Shanghai by German media.

Vettel insisted his apology to the team still stands, but he suggested saying sorry to Red Bull's entire staff at the factory may have been overdoing it.

"They did not really understand why I was apologising," said the 25-year-old German.

Vettel's change of tune on Thursday was spectacular and surprising. Once contrite, he now insists he heard Red Bull's team order but misunderstood it.

"The order came only once, and in a moment where I was distracted. As a driver, you still need to drive," he said.

Radio evidence, however, suggests that Vettel was told several times, in several different ways. Team boss Christian Horner even intervened at one point, saying “This is silly, Sebastian...”

"You can believe me or not," said Vettel. "Christian (Horner) rarely talks to me on the radio, and this time he caught me at full speed on the straight. I could hear something on the radio, but not what (was said)."

Photo: Red Bull Racing

Vettel's mood then turned even feistier, when he suggested that if he could live the very same moment again, he would "probably" ignore the order again and attack Webber.

"The bottom line is that I was racing, I was faster, I passed him, I won," he said. "I don't consider myself the bad guy."

Asked if there is trust between the pair now, Vettel answered: "I wouldn't call it trust to be honest."

In fact, when asked if Malaysia was 'payback' for some of Webber's earlier misdeeds, Vettel admitted: "You could say indirectly so."

He confirmed Horner's suspicion that, had another order come for him to give the place back to Webber, he would not have. "He (Webber) didn't deserve it," said Vettel.

"I never had support from his side," he added. "I respect him a lot as a racing driver, but I think there was more than one occasion in the past where he could have helped the team and he didn't."

From GMM

Robert Kubica has admitted he might never return to formula one.

After his new foray in the second-tier world rally championship was announced recently, the former BMW and Renault driver said he saw "tiny lights in the tunnel" that he might be able to resume his F1 career at some point in the future.

But the 28-year-old Pole, badly injured in a pre-2011 season rallying crash, has now told the Sun: "Of course I would like to come back in F1, but I know that it might not happen. Rally I think will help me get back to the sport and it will definitely keep my head up."

Robert Kubica. (Photo: Citroën Racing)

The reason Kubica has come back to rallying rather than single seater racing is because of the limited movement of his right arm, which was almost severed in his near-fatal crash.

The FIA has allowed Citroen, his new employer, to modify the controls of his car for 2013.

"We had permission from FIA, which I would like to thank, for a pad on the left side. I'm not really limited when I'm driving, it's more outside of the car that I'm more limited," added Kubica.

Will Power, Dario Franchitti, Simon Pagenaud and Marco Andretti all drove the Pocono tri-oval Wednesday and they were quite impressed with the quality of the track.

The four drivers were invited by Firestone to test tire compounds at the tri-oval. They came away as impressed with the track as they were with the speeds.

Specific aero package for Pocono. (Photo: LAT/IndyCar)

Franchitti, who was the only driver on hand to have competed on the Pocono track back in 2008 when driving in the Sprint Cup series, was able to make comparisons and, one thing for sure, he was running about 35mph quicker.

"I got to Turn 1 a lot quicker in an Indy car than a Cup car and I went through there flat out. I was flat all the way around and coming off Turn 3 at 217 mph so that's pretty impressive," said Franchitti.

Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka, sponsor of Ed Carpenter, is offering a $1 million bonus to any driver winning Indy, Pocono and Fontana.

In the history of Indy car racing, only Al Unser Sr. managed to pull off the hat trick of winning Indy, Pocono and Ontario (California), back in 1978.

German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz and seven-time Formula World Champion, Michael Schumacher today announced a long-term partnership which will extend far beyond motorsport and F1.

Michael Schumacher will mainly be involved with topics relating to the future, in particular the further development of the Mercedes-Benz safety and comfort systems "Intelligent Drive", and represent them as an ambassador.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

For many years now Schumacher has been working on road safety; as a partner he will from now on be supporting Mercedes-Benz's involvement in this field.

"The future interests me much more than the present and past. During my Formula 1 time I always believed that you must not allow yourself to rest on your laurels, but that you must continuously try to improve,” said Schumacher of the new partnership in a press release.

“In so doing I was very often able to rely on the help of all the technologies available to me in the car and use them to my advantage. That is why I am a declared supporter of driving assistance systems both in the racing car and in the road-going car".

Michael Schumacher will be making his first appearance as a partner of Mercedes-Benz together with Dr. Dieter Zetsche May 1st, 2013 at 'Handelsblatt PATHFINDER - The future starts today'.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk says he would consider locating a second automotive assembly plant in Texas.

Hybrids, diesels and full-electric vehicles have no trouble grabbing headlines, but sales figures suggest that Americans are -- for now -- hesitant to adopt alternatives to conventional gasoline-powered internal combustion.

Ford Motor Co., which wants the federal government to align U.S. vehicle standards with those of the European Union, has enlisted a longtime ally in its campaign: U.S. Rep.

More than 260,000 vehicles will be impacted by the six recalls Chrysler announced Tuesday. None are particularly serious, but if you own a Chrysler product we've summarized the list below.

Filling your tank will cost slightly less this summer according to new estimates released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Texas dealers are unjustly trying to prevent Tesla Motors from competing in their state, company founder and CEO Elon Musk told state lawmakers late Tuesday.

2013 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring - Nearing the End

Back on the road (trip) again.

As we neared the end of our year with the CX-5, associate web editor Evan McCausland took the sky-blue crossover on one last big road trip -- a weekend drive to Nashville via the Kentucky bourbon trail. It was a timely trip because, compared with our other Four Seasons vehicles, the CX-5 was a little short on miles.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring - Four Seasons Update - March 2013 - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring - Four Seasons Update - March 2013 - Automobile Magazine

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